Under a Rising Sun
by William Rayne
Summary: Just how and when did the Kryptonians start visiting our world? My take on how the rite of passage for Kryptonians indicated from “Relic” and “Skinwalker” began. AU set in ancient Japan.
1. Prologue

TITLE: Under a Rising Sun

AUTHOR: William Rayne

EMAIL: knytmare@yahoo.com

RATING: PG-13

SUMMARY: Just how and when did the Kryptonians start visiting our world? My take on how what seems to be a rite of passage for Kryptonians indicated from "Relic" and "Skinwalker". AU set in ancient Japan.

SPOILERS: none, though based somewhat on "Relic" and "Skinwalker"

PAIRING: none

DISTRIBUTION: FanFiction.net, email me

DISCLAIMER someone else owns 'em, I'm just taking them out to play. Don't sue me, I have no money FEEDBACK: Desired like none other.

NOTES AND NEWS: This is a stream of thought concept, may never finish or at the best update even more rarely than my other stories. This stems from an idea I had in my "Elseworlds: Power" fic (that chapter isn't fully edited and up yet). This may change, but my take on Kryptonian language is that it's too complex for humans so comes out like gibberish to us. (Read: I'm too lazy to come up with my own language like others have done.) Also not sure where I should post this since it's derived from Smallville but doesn't have any original characters in it at all and is somewhat original. One more caveat, I don't know any real Japanese history so forgive what will be huge inaccuracies.

As always: bold italics for stressed, italics for thoughts or voice-over, and underlines for sarcasm or disgust.  

Oh yeah, I'm horrible with tenses, so please forgive me, I'll try to clean and tighten that up some in the future.

254

Prologue

Before there was a Last Son of Krypton, there were those Kryptonians who came before to our planet. It is no secret that Krypton was more advanced than Earth at the time of the planet's demise but what isn't known is that they evolved very much like our world. Their first foray into deep space inadvertently leads to more forays on our planet as well as the discovery of the effects of our sun on their metabolism.

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What was meant to be a simple five year space mission met with somewhat disastrous results when a stray asteroid from the Sol system collided with the craft that carried Krypton's first deep space astronauts: Gir, Luci and Zod. The effect of that asteroid was not noticed by the crew since they slept a cryogenic slumber until they landed on a planet they believed might contain life. If they had been awake, the mission would not have been aborted since the damage seemed superficial. It wouldn't be until the spacecraft entered the atmosphere of the third planet from Sol, that the effects of the asteroid would become apparent and by then it was too late.

As their craft entered the atmosphere, navigation and propulsion systems became affected and irrevocably damaged. Instead of landing on one of the larger continents the planet contained, they successfully managed to avoid the watery depths that made up almost 3/4ths of the planet and hit an island just off the coast of one of the continents. Due to the impact of the landing, the chambers that contained the sleeping explorers were only compromised in that they failed to open. It is a small miracle that days after the crash, Gir's chamber opened due to a system glitch in combination with the curiosity of one of the planet's inhabitants.

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Japan, 1500 BCE

"Kaeru! You aren't seriously going to go to do what I think you're doing? Are you?" Cried out a young Japanese samurai with a scar on his chin to his friend that approached the metal demon that had scorched the sky as well as the earth.

"Stop being so superstitious Hattori. You came with me to find out if my sister's ramblings were madness or true visions. We can't very well do that without venturing inside this beast," his friend replied as both warriors returned their gaze upon the demonic beast that loomed above them.

Hattori considered his friends words and nodded. As they ventured closer to the sleeping demon, he thought back to what had brought them here. A few days before, Kaeru's sister had a fit that could only be described as madness. As she lay on the floor, convulsing, she uttered out that the day was coming when a dragon would crash from the sky carrying inside his belly the gods that would lead the Hasigawa clan to glory. The elders thought it was madness but her brother believed differently. The next day, the sky was scorched with fire and a loud thunder as clouds of dust rose in its wake. Kaeru was convinced that his sister had the sight and spoke prophesy. The council of elders thought this to be the nonsense of a young and inexperienced warrior. Kaeru convinced his childhood friend to aid him in defying the council's decree that no one disturb the demon that fell from the sky.

Kaeru believed that they could not ignore the possibility that his sister's prophecy had merit. The Hasigawa clan was in a delicate position as they negotiated an alliance with the Shoji clan. The increase sightings of Kasha and Yasha had made both clans uneasy and more inclined to ally. Kaeru feared that this may not be enough to stem the thickening air of evil that was choking their territories. If there was any truth to Subaru's prophesy that the beast contained the salvation of their people, he felt obligated to find it.

It had taken several days for them to make their way to the beast. On that journey they had only encountered and successfully defeated one Kasha by setting it on fire. As they approached the beast, they did not fail to notice that no creature inhabited the area surrounding it due to the fact that the usual sounds of wildlife were eerily not present.

Kaeru found an opening into the beast. The opening spit fire every so often but otherwise made no threatening gesture towards the warriors. None-the-less, they unsheathed their katanas as they made their way into its belly. They were surprised to find that the inside of the dragon contained the same metallic scales as the outside. The could also swear that they passed door-like objects that seemed to have writing on them but knew that the beast's magicks were trying to trick them. 

They found that the center of the beast contained not fire but cold. Hattori noticed something in the room and as he accidentally brushed against some part of the beast, he regretted his curiosity as he triggered what must've been a ward that summoned guardians. As the guardian fell from the tomb and looked upon the intruders, Hattori and Kaeru seized on their foe's vulnerable state and let loose the cries of warriors. They were awed and scared when their katanas shattered against the beast. It was only as the guardian revealed its true face, as both warriors unarmed strikes did not phase it and only hurt them as if they were hitting a mountain, did Kaeru and Hattori realize that they were attacking one of the gods they had come to find. They begged forgiveness as they bowed low to the god standing before them.

A/N: hopefully you guys liked this and it made some sort of sense. Please let me know where the appropriate place to post is (see notes at the beginning). The next chapter will be from the point of view from the awaking Kryptonians and some more on their encounter with ancient Japan. Wouldn't mind a beta for this if I decide to pursue it more. Tired now so I'll write what I have thought of for this story later on.


	2. Chapter 1

TITLE: Under a Rising Sun

AUTHOR: William Rayne

EMAIL: knytmare@yahoo.com

RATING: PG-13

DISTRIBUTION: FanFiction.net, email me

DISCLAIMER someone else owns 'em, I'm just taking them out to play. Don't sue me, I have no money. 

FEEDBACK: Desired like none other.

NOTES AND NEWS: Not sure where I should post this since it's derived from Smallville but doesn't have any original characters in it at all and is somewhat original. One more caveat, I don't know any real Japanese or DC Universe/Kryptonian history so forgive what will be huge inaccuracies since I'm gonna make it up as I go along.

As always: bold italics for stressed, italics for thoughts or voice-over, and underlines for sarcasm or disgust.  

117

Chapter 1

Gir of the House of El was a scientist, a seeker of truth and reason, as was his father before him and his father's mother before him. It is a family myth that it's in the blood, in the genes, that anyone born to the House of El would sooner or later seek truth out. If the House could see their last descendent millennia later, they would've wondered if it was more than myth. None-the-less, Gir of the House of El was a scientist and it wasn't surprising when he volunteered for Krypton's first deep space exploration mission. He had expected it to be an adventure in science and the last thing he expected was an adventure beyond imagination that would shape the fate of two worlds. Let alone finding himself thrown from the cryogenic chamber, being attacked by natives and then having them prostrate before him.

What happened next he didn't notice right away, because to him it seemed like the natives just decided to stay in their position as he hurriedly tried to restore power to the cryogenic chamber so that his companions could be released properly. He marveled that his body survived the sudden transition. It was in the final stages of the repair that he noticed it. He was amazed to witness a spark of electricity from an exposed conduit seemingly frozen in mid-air. The moment he stopped to ponder whether the time or the spark had somehow frozen was the exact moment it disappeared. His scientific curiosity and musings were cut short as well by the excited yammering of the natives as they looked at him with a mixture of awe and worship.

Knowing it would take almost a full day on this planet for the other chambers to properly thaw their occupants, Gir spent one hour tuning the internal computer to interpret the language and relay that information to the nanobots within his system that were originally designed to ward off any potential disease the planet may have as well as not contaminate the biosphere with Kryptonian ailments.

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"Kaeru, Hattori. Will you please stop bowing? I'm not a god. I'm a visitor to your land. I am but a man like yourselves."

The two samurai risked a glance towards one another before Kaeru ventured to say, "With all due respect, divine one, we will not fail this test of faith. For we know that you are not like us. Your coming was foretold. A celestial being such as yourself could withstand the attacks made with Hanzo steel, let alone shatter the blade. Please forgive us, o merciful one for our aggression." As he finished, he proceeded to press his forehead on the floor once more, as did Hattori.

Gir sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. He had spent the past hour since addressing the natives in their tongue, which bore a resemblance to ancient Western Kryptonese, trying to convince them to rise and communicate with him on a more democratic level. It was now dusk and e suspected that if he ever succeeded in simply talking them into sitting like equals, at the very least, he would have a long way towards convincing them he wasn't a god. Though from what he learned of their technology level, he could understand how they had come to that conclusion. 

That didn't mean, however, that he didn't find it disturbing. What he also found disturbing was the metamorphosis his body was experiencing. He was adapting to the enhanced strength, speed and invulnerability as well as anyone could in his situation. He had an ominous feeling that the surprises were just beginning. It was easy to narrow down what may have caused these changes. Other than the supremely lower gravity on this planet, the only difference between it and Krypton was the sun. This third planet from Sol had a yellow sun as opposed to Krypton's red. He knew going into this mission that the lower gravity would allow him to make leaps akin to flight as well as precise control of the inevitable fall and in all honesty, that was the first thing he had planned to test out when they landed. Now, he was reluctant to for several reasons, the foremost of which was that it would only serve to reinforce the primitive's beliefs that he was a deity.

Gir-El saw, at the present moment, no recourse but to play along until another option presented itself. Sighing once more and loathing himself for what he was about to do, Gir took on the countenance that was befitting for a member of the House of El. Gir of the Royal House of El assumed a regal stance, bedecked in his skintight, black cryogenic suit which proudly bore the signet of his family. The signet could, millennia later, be described by the Latin people as an 'S' encased within a pentagon. The signet is often confused with the Kryptonian rune, which is an '8' within a pentagon, for a word that can't be translated into human. The closest translation would be, "one who possesses the will and faith to bring honor to their people" and even that does no justice to the Kryptonian word. To use that translation would be akin to describing royalty as a sentient creature. With the air of authority gained from being a descendent of Krypton's original ruling class, Gir of the House of El, spoke to the primitives before him and stated, "You have passed the test. Now rise so that I may reward you for your faith."

Trying not to flush with embarrassment from having to act superior, Gir thought it only proper to replace the weapons he inadvertently broke with some of the stock from the armory on the ship. Major Zod had insisted that they have a proper armory, even though this mission was supposed to be one of peaceful exploration and at the present moment, Gir was glad it was available. The two samurai trailed in his wake as he strode to the armory.

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It is important to note a major difference between the evolution of Kryptonian and Earth cultures when it comes to the art of war. Krypton never had the necessary chemicals to produce what we call gunpowder and thus excelled in manufacture of melee weapons as well as kinetic projectile much like our crossbows. The latter was, at this moment of history, being replaced among the elite with the new energy weapons. The Kryptonians were originally a fierce, savage and brutal warrior people before the Houses of El, Oz and An unified the planet. Unfortunately, that was formed only from the most destruction and death that Krypton would only be rivaled by the demise of the planet.

The unification of the planet ushered in a new era for Krypton. The time of nations was replaced with the era of aristocracy as the ascendant Houses maintained their hold of the planet and with an iron fist which, ironically, planted the seeds that would from the utopia Krypton was at her demise. The era of aristocracy had ended only two centuries before this historic voyage into the far reaches of known space. The once proud Houses that held reign on the planet fell to the sway of a new Republic that preached equality under guidance of the Council of Krypton. Though the old caste system was officially buried at that time, its effects were still felt in Gir-El's time. The political tension was thick at the time of the launch which made the choice of an armory on the ship a prudent one. Though those of the old guard, the ancient ruling Houses of Krypton, still wore their swords mainly as ceremony, each sword could serve practically if and when the need arose. It is also interesting to note that, even among the 'lower classes' and especially among the once great Houses, every member of the House was trained in the way of the sword and fist.

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Gir surveyed the damage caused by wreck as he made his way to the armory and wasn't surprised to see several of the doors ruined as well as exposed conduits that made the once fine and modern design of the ship look like a leper. Gir was beginning to appreciate his newly enhanced strength since he had to force several of the doors open with brute strength. Given the hydraulics on some of the doors, the feat would've taken hours instead of seconds for a normal man.

When they had finally made their way into the armory, Gir strode to the nearest sword case and took out a Kryptonian Shin-ba-sora. He had no idea that the design of this blade would evolve on this planet into what Earth's modern world would come to know as the katana. He tested the blade's edge with his thumb and was surprised when it drew blood. _Of course it would cut me, it is a vibroblade. It could cut through __Cythonna__if needed._ Cursing himself for his stupidity, Gir marveled at the rapidity in which the wound healed and wondered if the regenerative nature of this planet's radiation could be used to extend the lifespan of his people. His musings were interrupted when he remembered his reason for being here.

The two warriors behind him had seen the power of the blade he held. It had drawn the blood of a god. They refused Gir's offering of the sword and it was only when Gir had told them it would offend him if they did not accept it that they did so reluctantly. A few seconds after the swords were accepted, the hairs on the backs of all three warriors' necks rose and as they looked toward the entrance of the armory, they saw glowing red eyes and inhuman forms Gir had no time to ask what 'Kasha' meant as the natives charged with the forms with their newly acquired weapons to wage battle.

A/N: Hoping the last few paragraphs made sense, I don't know if some of the sentences are actually awkward or it's just me being tired. 


End file.
